but to come back to the first question, the questions about how long japanese can be learnt are often asked on forums and the only really answer that can be given is that it totally depends on your memory (or even on the kind of memory you have)If you tend to have a memory that use your hearing (sorry I don't know the english word for it), learning kana and kanji will be harder for you.

I advise you to try defining what kind of memory you have (hearing, eyes, writing...), because I think that japanese is one of the language that needs the most memory.

Its not that I have a bad memory or don't know my own capcacity, Infact people often comment on how good my memory is, especially my factual memory. I write a lot, as in handwriting and as in story writing, and have tried languages before.

I didn't try learning Kana all at once because I knew that it'd be a waste of that day because I'd have to keep coming back to it later. So I've taken it very slowly.

I was told by a friend last year to learn so greek (for some reason I did) and I followed the same procedure with the greek alaphabet and that took me a month.
(write out each character you have learnt on aline every day fit as many as neatly possibly on that line and so on)

Of course I wasn't really all that interested in greek, so my interest faded away. But whenever I read something greek now, I can pronounce most of it because I still remember the entire alphabet. That's why I was hoping it would also work with this.

But as I said, some say they did it within a week or a few days, which as I said is pretty cool. B)

It has taken me 20 + years to learn hiragana. it seems that I constantly have to review it to keep it in my memory, otherwise it's too easy to forget. The same goes for katakana too. In fact all the Kanji I know, I am constantly reviewing them as well.

For the non-native or the person not living in Japan, it is an ongoing process that quite frankly never ends. When you adamantly think you know them all, check yourself and admit you still need more learning. Infact, I would dare say that many of our native and those living in Japan have to review what they know constantly too.

I'm surprised to see that so many people struggle with katakana. I understand that they aren't used as often, but when I studied them, I treated them with the same importance. I practice (write) both syllaberies in order every day. They aren't second-nature yet... and I doubt they ever will be based on the same things that two_heads_talking said.

I just wonder if the notion of "hirigana more used, katakana less used" impairs the memorization from the start...

Last edited by spinizuey on Tue 09.04.2007 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yep it took me a month, but really I guess its because I only really spent like 20 minutes day doing it. But as I said, I remember them all, the only reason I can't read greek properly though is because I don't know many of the Constant blendings and stuff (and well i don't under stand greek ) I'm seeing a pattern forming people spending many hours day practicding. I think I spread it out ...maybe a little to far hrm.

It only takes like a few days, but that depends on how much you study and whether you are taking into consideration, reading, recongniction(NOT the same a sreading hiragana in sentences) writing, and fluency. Recognition can take as little and 30 mins to an hour. Its called short-term memory. Its the extra time you have to put in for long-term memory and waaay more for fluency.

Perfect fluency takes a long time to get, and I still stumble sometimes on hiragana clusters that beginners use. So, I wouldn't worry too much about how long it takes. Its fluency that matters. Its useless if you can recognize hiragana, but it takes you 10 minutes to read it.

My favortie quote from somebody that I can't remember, "Every 5 year old in Japan knows hiragana."

Ummm.. Is that too long or too quick? ^_^; I think I must have a really good ability for learning alphabets because I SORTA can read greek, read korean *ok*, and read hiragana quite a bit better than korean but still DEFINATELY not fluent or super-well.
The way I learned greek: In 6th grade our teacher told us to write some letter using the greek alphabet in our social studies book, but in english and for the letters the greeks didnt have, we just used normal roman.. And by the time I had finished half the page, I could write greek with rarely having to look up at the book, while most of my classmates were still looking at the book through the whole letter.

I learned Hiragana after a few weeks. Taking my time. Katakana, I'm about halfway through it. Haven't been able to go over anything for quite some time due to work taking priority, but when I start back up again, it shouldn't take too much longer.

Took me a few weeks, as I was studying an hour at most a day. Now I'm 99% sure i've got them all down. The only problem is that I confuse them with katakana sometimes... Ugh...
At least I know 60 kanji!